The pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries have long provided to the consuming public body powders used primarily for abosrbing moisture that may be secreted from the sebaceous and sweat glands, for example. Body powders are often used on babies to help prevent diaper rash and to otherwise help maintain dryness.
Since one of the primary purposes of body powders is to absorb moisture, the effectiveness of the body powder is lost when the powder has reached its capacity for absorbence. Generally, talc is the primary abosrbent constituent in body powders. Since talc, other inorganic sorbents, and organic sorbents, such as starch and cellulose generally have a relatively low capability of water absorption, a need exists for a body powder having improved characteristics, namely, improved absorbency. Further, since high absorption polymers tend to form a tenacious mass or gel upon absorption of a fluid, a need exists for a body powder having high sorbency relative to inorganic sorbents without forming a tenacious mass or gel after sorption of such fluid.